Mod Focus: 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Released for Assetto Corsa

[Paul Jeffrey]

@A3DR and @aphidgod have released the spectacular 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca and Hennessey's supercharged HPE650 version of the car in a brand new scratch made modding project for Assetto Corsa.

The Car
The Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition and the Hennessy HPE650 supercharged version of the car marked a return to form for the iconic American manufacturer when they first rolled off the production line back in 2012. Built with power in mind, the huge machine instantly became a hit inclusion into the iconic Mustang range, popular for it's nod to the classic styling of the original car and effortless inclusion of many of the modern features one would expect from a performance machine for the 21st century.

Bringing back to prominence the famous Boss title, the 302 had a strong heritage to live up to when it released to the public marketplace, and with Mustang's desire to build a track car for the road, anyone who has been lucky enough to get behind the wheel of one of the fantastic cars can attest to the brilliant job that has been undertaken by men behind the machine. Gentlemanly and almost docile at low city driving speeds, the Boss 302 Laguna Seca literally comes alive in your hands once you begin to explore the outer envelope of it's enviable performance range.

Speaking about the car itself, @aphidgod is clearly impressed by the machine.

"Specs-wise, this thing is a hulking 3600lb, 440bhp muscle car on the outside but it's been built and set up for the track underneath. The Boss 302 (and this LS special edition) are really intended to be a "circuit track" version of the car. It's not the mindless brute-force pony car many people think of when you say "Mustang." Even with that live axle it shows some real class IMO".

"Obviously (during the build) it was a huge advantage to have Ron around (a former owner) and also to have Dale's input (RL track experience in many Mustangs)... In terms of RL correlation, the only goal for me in these projects is matching them up as completely as I possibly can and this one lines up nicely with all of the "measurables" - accel times, skidpad Gs, lap times, and relative pace to its RL rivals (specifically the E92 M3 in this case.)

Of course the measurables don't fully define a car, which is where Ron and Dale come in. It also has to "feel" like a Mustang, and they are the reason this one does. Nothing beats input from someone with real experience in the car. They really helped out with a couple of the nuances of the handling.
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The project to bring this car to Assetto Corsa has been ongoing for some time and is a product of a long running labour of love by Project Head @ronniej. Having already attempted to bring the epic machine to the simulation previously, @ronniej decided to bring in the creative talents of @A3DR for work on the (admittedly spectacular) 3D modelling and @aphidgod to bring the physics alive in what is a stunningly well handling car despite it's considerable weight and horsepower.

For his part @ronniej is understandably delighted with the progress made so far, stating:

"I would only like to say that I have had the pleasure of owning this car (2012 Boss 302 w/Recaro and Torsen option wrapped in Yellow Blaze Metallic) and ever since I was introduced to Assetto Corsa, I desperately wanted to see it in this game, and also believe it deserves to be here.. One of my favourite quotes from an article and can personally attest to is "That splitter and war paint ain't just for show, this 444-bhp pony dances with Porsches...." also, the BMW M3 (e92) in the game was lonely and I just couldn't bear it....!"
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With development now finally at an end, the Mustang is ready for it's first public release to the players of Assetto Corsa. A great level of attention to detail has gone into this car in order to bring as close to the real thing experience as possible. With hours of extensive testing having been undertaken by people with experience in the real car, the team are confident players will be impressed with the real life correlation when trying out the 302 for themselves.

It's not only the physics that have received meticulous attention to detail, the 3D model of this car is straight out of the top drawer of quality. Built by professional 3D modeller @A3DR as a personal project of passion with @aphidgod and @ronniej, both the interior and exterior of this car really do show off the capabilities of Assetto Corsa to it's absolute maximum, easily achieving the quality level afforded to official cars released by Kunos themselves.

Alongside the hard work already delivered as mentioned above, the team would also like to offer a special thanks to Noel Hansen (Go Roughriders!) for real measurement info / perspective and to Dale Stearns for his role in beta testing the new car.

The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca and Hennessey Edition, including the standard Boss skin pack is available to download HERE. The Skin pack is available HERE.

Assetto Corsa can be purchased for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now. The PC version of the game is compatible with community created car and track additions.

RaceDepartment have our very own Assetto Corsa Modding Discussion forum, a location where community members can share progress on the latest mods, download new content and interact and ask questions about the world of mod creation in Assetto Corsa. Check out the Assetto Corsa Modding Forum for details and take a look at our general Assetto Corsa forum where you will find all the latest news items and community discussion topics.

Have you tried the new Mustang mod from A3DR and aphidgod? What do you think of the car? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

 

[Joseph Maxx]

haha, yes sir!...Downey Ford had only a white one and then this one with the Recaro/Torsen.....Brought it back out with me to the oil patch in SASK. and traded it for a truck @ Bennett Dunlop in Regina.....It seemed like the right thing to do at the time

What, you traded it for a truck? Noooooo oooo oooo oooooo. Ok, you can get more girls into a truck than a 'Stang but still, what were you thinking?

 

[A3DR]

7:18-7:22 on Nordschleife Tourist with the supercharged version for me, so it should be in Carrera S territory

According to our tests, Carrera S is a bit slow compared to the HPE650, is closer to the stock LS version for a couple of seconds though.
The RUF Yellowbird and Vette C7 are close but still behind, still couldn't find the exact match.

 

[ronniej]

What, you traded it for a truck? Noooooo oooo oooo oooooo. Ok, you can get more girls into a truck than a 'Stang but still, what were you thinking?

Well at the time, I had a lot going on with renovations etc, and a truck was also good for going out to muddy leases and "middle of nowhere" places in general, (Welcome to Canada eh!) and I enjoyed the Boss for 3 summers and it's not my only toy lol. Funny, I allowed more girls in my Boss than I do my truck! LOL.

EDIT: But..The car turned out to be more fun than a car worth twice as much. Ford did good, if you can find one...GET ONE!

 

[garyjpaterson]

Sorry, couldn't help but compare these cross-Atlantic relatives... Nice bit of inspiration of where I want mine to be

But what a machine. Not one I'd have been drawn to myself, but its the ultimate cruiser whilst also being surprisingly capable on track. Lovely and predictable, quite weighty and gooey just as I imagine it should

Model is obviously a masterpeice, but we knew that already!

 

[kondor999]

Amazing car. Just wanted to say thanks to these very talented modders.

This car is absolutely the equal of any of the first-party content in AC.

 

[A3DR]

Sorry, couldn't help but compare these cross-Atlantic relatives... Nice bit of inspiration of where I want mine to be

But what a machine. Not one I'd have been drawn to myself, but its the ultimate cruiser whilst also being surprisingly capable on track. Lovely and predictable, quite weighty and gooey just as I imagine it should

Model is obviously a masterpeice, but we knew that already!

Thanks Gary! the focus looks pretty good next to it if only we could get rid of those jagged edges in AC (see mustang hood)

 

[garyjpaterson]

Thanks Gary! the focus looks pretty good next to it if only we could get rid of those jagged edges in AC (see mustang hood)

Yeah I think only taking huge res screens and downscaling would solve that issue :/

Oh and btw, I spotted a small hole in the doorframe, nothing any normal human being would notice but I like to look closely at benchmark models to see how they're done

 

[A3DR]

Hey Gary, just missed your post before! thanks for noticing that, I'll make sure to fix it on the next update.

 

[poir.qc]

Drove the 302 GT4 alot in pCars. I thought it was awesome. I wonder how it's going to be in AC. download omw.

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

These are street cars, not GT4 race cars. (and they are awesome!)

 

[poir.qc]

I mostly drive street cars, so i'm not disapointed.

It's a nice car, indeed!

 

[Aleksi Tamminen]

Links dont work anymore

 

[A3DR]

Links dont work anymore

Owner decided to take it down, so I had to respect his decision to do so (I've built it under commission and an IP agreement).

 

[aphidgod]

Which is a bit futile given this is the internet. It's still out there if you look.

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

It's probably my favourite road car in AC: the 650

 

[Terry Rock]

Cool sim car that actually drives well.
My issue with most road-going versions of cars in simulation, is that they seem to be programmed to drive rather poorly.
They always seem to 'push' more than the real versions...don't ever seem to want to respond to turn in unless you are doing very, very low speeds.... and almost always seem to have suspensions made of rubber bands.
I generally tend to stay away from them with few exceptions...this car is one of those exceptions.
It is unfortunate, because it is not uncommon for me to pitch my daily driver into turns at 60+ mph and come out the other side with no weird handling anomalies.
It is extremely predictable and precise.

 

[Harro Gerritsen]

I had some problems with my pc so I reinstalled everything, I lost this great car. I honestly don't understand why you would delete something you put so much effort in. but then agian it's your decision, I didn't pay for this mod. I would love it if you put it back up.

 

[aphidgod]

It was commissioned by our client and he owns it, so that's his decision to make. Personally I don't see the point as once it's on the net you can never take it away, but we have to respect his decision. It's generous to have made it public in the first place.

If you check the usual re-hosting sites you can still find it. Taking it "underground" really just means Dan and I can't update it further.

 

[Hoksu]

So did this client give any reason why he wants it removed?

 

[aphidgod]

I'm not sure. I was on my sabbatical when it happened.